Parent-Teacher Conference

Wednesday, January 25 I had my first parent-teacher conference with Kyler's new Kindergarten teacher. I was really looking forward to it because for the first three weeks of school I felt VERY out of the loop! I was getting Kyler to/from school but beyond that I don't really know the routine, or what was expected of me as a parent. I feel like I am letting Kyler down because I don't really know what's going on. I didn't know when show and tell was or what he was supposed to bring and he would be sad because he was the only kid who didn't bring something. :(

Thankfully at this conference, I was able to get some answers. Mrs. Schafer gave me a packet of information which included an all-school calendar, a show and tell schedule, a field trip schedule, hot lunch menu, etc. Boy I finally feel equipped to know what is happening!

In addition, I talked to her about the possibility of volunteering in class and when she needed help. She told me Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 9:30-11 am are the times when she needs the most help. So I told her I would look into finding childcare for Caden on Thursday mornings so I could help out then.

She didn't really do an evaluation for Kyler because we came in the middle of the quarter. But she did go through some of the testing with him just to get a better feel for where he was at academically. She said she was really impressed with how well he was doing, especially with math. That is one of Kyler's strengths! From a very young age, he has been good with numbers. She commented that he was able to correctly indicate the total value for several coins. He was one of about 3 in the class of 26 who could do that. So that makes me one very proud mommy! :)

I am just glad to have more information so I can be a better Kindergarten parent!

Spokane-Bound

Sunday afternoon, the 22^nd, I had to drive up to Spokane because Caden had appointments with two specialists there: Pulmonology and Endocrinology. It's a three-hour drive and we got there in time for dinner with my family. I am blessed to have family there which makes having specialist appointments much easier to get to. I can drive up the night before and stay with my sister which is great. This time my parents also came over to have dinner with us.

Caden's first appointment was with the Pulmonologist at 8:45 am on Monday, January 23. They told me to allow three hours for the appointment because it is a new patient consultation and the doctor likes to do a thorough consultation and often does allergy testing at the visit also. I was completely blown away at the amount of time the specialist spent with us one-on-one!

He spent about an hour and a half with us in his office going over a very detailed medical history, including all Caden's congenital defects, all his surgeries/procedures, all his medications, all his developmental delays and therapies, etc. Then, he took us into an exam room where he did a thorough exam of Caden and asked a bunch more questions. After this, he did a cystic fibrosis screening on him which he says is his standard protocol with new patients. He said he didn't expect it to show anything but he was just covering his bases. It was negative which is what we expected.

Being examined by Dr. Michael McCarthy

I honestly couldn't believe how long we were at that appointment. We didn't even do any allergy testing and we were in his office until 12:45! I have to say I am very impressed with this new Pediatric Pulmonologist. He was very personable and explained some things to me which no one has taken the time to do before. I know our last Pulmonologist was extremely knowledgable but he was very difficult to ask questions because he spent so little time with us. This experience was completely different and that was very nice!

At 12:45, I had to literally run down to imaging to have a chest x-ray taken of Caden so the doctor had a baseline for him. Then I had to HURRY to get to the next appointment which was at 1:00. Thankfully the office was only 5 minutes away but I had to get Caden buckled into his car seat, drive out of the parking garage, pay at the exit, then drive to the next building, find a place to park, then find the office in the building. Needless to say I was about 10 minutes late! :(

This appointment was to meet with a Pediatric Endocrinologist in order to get Caden established with her and start the process to begin growth hormone therapy. I wasn't sure how long the process would take and was anxious to get started so Caden could have the maximum benefit possible from the medication. She said she needed more records from Caden's former pediatrician in Sacramento as well as the Endocrinologist we had seen in Sacramento before she could move forward. We liked her pretty well and we have a follow-up appointment in three months. In the meantime her office will work on getting insurance authorization to begin treatment. They will monitor his dosage and see how he responds to the therapy once it is in place.

Before we were done at this office, we had to have a bone age scan done on Caden's hand. Luckily that went really fast. But when that was done I had to fill out several medical records release forms for various doctor's offices. By the time we were finally ready to drive home it was 3:30 pm! Talk about a FULL day of appointments. Thankfully I had arranged for someone to pick Kyler up from school that day and stay with him at home until I could get back or Greg could get home from work.

I am really happy with the direction we are going with his new doctors! I just really wish they were a little closer than three hours away...

Snow Days!

Thursday, January 19 was a snow day for Kyler's school. Due to the icy conditions, school was canceled for the day. :) Kyler thought that was fantastic! Unfortunately, due to the freezing rain on top of the snow on the ground, it made for some very hard, crusty snow/ice which was difficult to play in. But the kids had fun crunching around the yard and pulling icicles off trees.

All bundled and ready to play in the back yard

Kyler trying to make a snow angel in the ice (no luck!)

Marshmallow man

The kids holding icicles off the tree

He is so adorable!

My handsome young man!

On Sunday, the 22^nd, we had a really fun snow day at home with the family. Things were still covered in snow/ice but there was no more freezing rain. So we took our toboggan sled and Greg pulled the kids around our street/culdesac. It was so much fun watching the sheer joy on the boys' faces. The LOVED it! Greg got a little tired out since he was the one doing most of the work. But Kyler did take at least one turn at pulling Greg on the sled which was pretty cute. :)

Greg with the boys

Having so much fun

The kids loved this activity so much!

I even got a turn!

So far, we have really enjoyed living here and getting the occasional snow on the ground. It is so pretty and since it doesn't last that long, we like it. I think if there was snow all winter long, I would get tired of it. But I really like this amount. We had so much fun together as a family! Good memories.

Vickie

Heartbroken. Crushed. Devastated. Sad. I received a phone call on January 9 telling me Kyler's Kindergarten teacher from his school in Sacramento was killed in a motorcycle accident on January 8. Disbelief. Shock. Denial. Tears. Lots of tears. More tears...

I don't think I can fully put in words how precious this woman was and how much she changed our lives and the lives of everyone she met. She had such a gift for understanding the heart of a child. She could help them in ways they didn't even know they needed help. She could talk to parents and become their friend. She was changing young lives for Christ.

In a school of about 100 students, there wasn't 1 child who wasn't affected by Vickie Altman. Regardless of whether they had her for a teacher or not, they knew she cared about them. She was always surrounded by children. When I dropped Kyler off for school in the morning, kids from all the other classes would congregate in the Kindergarten room just to give her a hug. There are very few people like her.

When we were trying to choose what school to send Kyler for Kindergarten, she was the reason we chose Orangevale Adventist School. I heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone who knew her. And, they were all true. Not one person overstated how amazing Vickie was. Everything people said was true, in fact, maybe even understated.

She helped me gain a better understanding of Kyler and his motivations. He is very misunderstood by most people. She helped me recognize what appeared to be defiance, was actually apprehension of trying new things. That changed everything for us! It decreased my frustration with Kyler because I understood him better. I will be forever grateful for her for taking the time to get to know Kyler and also to educate me.

There were only 6 kids in Kyler's class at Orangevale. Every day one of them would get to be the “student teacher.” On Kyler's last day of school, Vickie secretly arranged with the other kids, for him to be student teacher. That was so sweet. And, at the end of the day, she had a special prayer for him before they said goodbye. She asked the other kids if they wanted to pray also, and each and every one of them took a turn praying for him. I was there for those prayers and it's pretty hard not to have tears rolling down your cheeks when children are praying over your son. One of the students came from a home where the parents didn't pray and didn't really believe in God. But due to Vickie's influence, he was learning how to pray and his prayer was one of the most sincere of the group. Hearts changed for Christ's kingdom!

As word of her death is getting out, the tears are widespread. She impacted everyone she met for the better. Her death is a light in this world that has been put out. However, the lives she affected are testimony to her love and passion. It is our responsibility to pay it forward. We need to spread God's love and joy like Vickie did. That is what she would want us to do.

Vickie, I can't believe you are gone. The world is a darker place without you in it. But I know one day I will see you again in Heaven because Jesus has a special place for you there. Thank you for loving Kyler. Thank you for being my friend. Till we meet again... xoxo

Vickie with Kyler on the 1st day of school

On the 1st day of school

With the class on a field trip to the Fire Station

With the kids on a field trip to
the pumpkin farm

At the pumpkin farm

Vickie and Kyler at the pumpkin farm

Praying over Kyler on his last day of school

Vickie with the class on Kyler's last day of school in December

Kyler with Vickie - the last picture I have of them together
She was such a beautiful person, inside and out!

Caden's Birthday Video

Here is a short video of Caden's birthday celebrations, including one at a church we were visiting.  Enjoy!

3 Years Old!!!

It is hard for me to believe it, but Caden is 3 years old today, January 9! It doesn't take much to take me right back to the day he was born and remember how scared we were for him, not knowing if he was going to live or not. And, now just look at him! He is such an amazing little boy! He has such a strong will (which can work against us at times) that has served him so well throughout his short life. He is so persistent and such a hard worker at everything he does.

He is “Mr. Independent” right now, wanting to do everything for himself without any help from anyone else. In fact, if he's trying to climb up on a chair or a couch and struggling and I give him a little boost, he will say, “No! Do it myself!” and get right back down and try to get up again on his own. This applies to any scenario: putting his shoes/socks on, putting his jacket on, etc. It can be very frustrating to me if we are in a hurry to go somewhere. But I also know it is very important for him to do things on his own. So I usually try to factor in extra time for him to accomplish some of these tasks so we don't have to rush.

Caden is really struggling to share toys at this age, but I suppose that is typical. He hasn't had a lot of opportunity to learn how to play with his peers because the majority of his life he has spent in isolation at home to keep him healthy. Or he has been at therapy appointments with adults. His only real example of how to play with other kids has been with Kyler and he isn't the best example. So I am really looking forward to getting involved with a local play group that has kids his own age so he can learn how to share and take turns, etc.

That's a little about Caden at this age and stage. Now for the birthday celebration. Because we literally only moved into our house the day before his birthday, we decided to keep it really small. My parents came down to visit and help us get settled. So we had a family dinner followed by cake and presents.

We have a friend who lives in town who makes cakes and we commissioned her to make a “Handy Manny” birthday cake for Caden since he is OBSESSED with that TV show! She made the most AMAZING cake I have every seen! It is Manny's toolbox with all his tools inside. I am in complete awe of her incredible work! And, it was completely edible with the exception of a couple toothpicks and the handle of the toolbox! :) Caden and Kyler both loved the cake.

Isn't this the most amazing cake you've ever seen???

I love that sweet face!

All of us with the birthday boy after
he dismantled his tools

Grandma and Grandpa with the birthday boy

I was really hoping this year would be the year that Caden wanted to actually eat some of his birthday cake. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. I took a small piece of cake and had him eat that, but it was followed by gagging/retching. :( I really hope someday he will actually learn to enjoy eating.

The bite is in his mouth but he doesn't want to close

There's the gag followed by a bad retch  :(

Caden's “big” present was a tricycle from Grandma and Grandpa. It is perfect for him to learn to use now that he is just tall enough to reach the pedals. We have the perfect location for him to learn to ride it on our quiet culdesac or on our covered patio in the back yard. :)

Taking it for a test ride in the house

I have to say, despite the craziness and chaos of the previous three-four weeks, Caden's birthday was very fun and special. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. It is so fun to rejoice with him when he learns new things and overcomes obstacles that previously held him back. We love you Caden! More than words can say! We can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the years to come. :)

Moving Day!

Sunday, January 8 was the day our moving truck arrived from California with all our household belongings! We were VERY happy to see it arrive after being in transition for about three weeks. We spent the last two nights sleeping on the floor of our new house after the floors were finished and before the truck arrived. So we were quite thrilled for it's arrival because that meant sleeping in our own beds and being able to cook actual meals in our kitchen!

This is the first time we have had a moving company move our stuff and I have to say, it was awesome! They do all the heavy lifting, loading/unloading. I got to stand in the doorway and direct where I wanted things to go. That is my strength, so to speak. So I loved it! I hope we get to do that again the next time we move, whenever that may be. Although I hope it's not anytime soon because I do NOT like the process of moving!

Our household goods have arrived!

Not nearly as nice and open as the picture from
the previous post about our new floors!  :(

Caden was "supervising" the men
unloading the truck

What a long, busy, tiring day. And, I wasn't even the one doing the “hard” stuff. I am a little (well, okay, a lot) OCD. So I couldn't get these boxes unpacked and things put away fast enough. But this is where we started with quite a lot of chaos of boxes everywhere! Soon enough this will be home sweet home.  :)

New Floors

Before we could move into our house, we had to replace the floors. The previous owner had cats, and apparently they didn't believe in using a litterbox because there was a very bad smell in the house. We knew with the proper treatment of the problem, it would be fine. And, it gave us the opportunity to put in hardwood floors throughout the majority of the house. This is better for us because of Caden's health issues. We need to keep things are dust/allergen free as possible!

Luckily we have a friend who is a contractor and he was willing to bring his crew over to Walla Walla and take care of the job for us. We found a great deal on flooring materials at Home Depot and for the small areas we were going to put carpet, we found a great quality carpet at a local discount carpet store in Walla Walla.

While our friend and his crew worked on the floors, we were staying in a hotel in town. It made things slightly more complicated with feeding Caden and getting Kyler to/from school. But we knew it was temporary. It would be worth it in the end!

Here is the house with the original floors (carpet and laminate wood floors):

Here is the house in progress:

And, most importantly, here is the final product! We love it!  :)

Scootering

We absolutely love our new house and one of the things we really enjoy about it, is the large covered patio in the back. When the weather is bad, the kids can ride their scooters out there and still burn some energy!

There's that cheesy smile!

He looks so grown up these days!

Both the boys have been enthusiastically riding their scooters since Christmas. They are so excited to have them. Here is a short clip showing them both riding their scooters on the patio. :)

1st Day at a New School

Tuesday, January 3 was Kyler's first day at his new school. Last Thursday, we met with the Principal of the school so he could get to know Kyler and find out a little more about him. I guess he does that with all new students. He also took us on a tour of the school, including the Kindergarten classroom, which Kyler was most interested in.

In front of his new school

We have heard really great things about Kyler's teacher, before he even started here, so I know he will like her. It will just be a big adjustment from his last school. We adore Mrs. Altman and are so sad to leave her. In addition, he is going from a class of 6 kids (including Kyler), to a class of 26 kids! And, he's going from a half day program, to a full day program. Those are pretty big changes!

His first day went well. Caden and I stayed for the first 20 minutes or so to kind of get a feel for what the class is like. Kyler was pretty quiet and reserved as he was taking it all in. But when I picked him up from school, he said he had a really good day. He has a hard time remembering names, so when I asked him if he made any friends, he couldn't tell me who they were. But he said he did play with some kids during recess.

At the beginning of class on his 1st day

Instead of having a cubby in the classroom where he keeps his backpack and jacket, he now has his very own locker. I can't believe that! I didn't have a locker until I was in 7^th grade! :) Kyler thinks it is fantastic though.

I'm not sure what the goofy face is about!

All in all, I think the transition went well. Of course, this is only the beginning, so we will see how it goes from here. Change is hard and there have been a lot of changes for our family in the last few months. Thank you for all your prayers!

New Year's

This was a very strange New Year's for our family. It is the first time in the 12 years since Greg and I got engaged, that we have spent New Year's Eve apart. :( Two days after we got the keys to our house, Greg had to fly back down to Sacramento to deal with our previous house and then drive our second car back to Walla Walla.

He decided to fly out of Spokane in order to avoid any fog-related delays or flight cancellations out of Walla Walla (a common problem here in the winter). So we drove up there, dropped him off at the airport and then the boys and I spent the New Year's weekend at my sister's house. We had a nice weekend there and returned to Walla Walla on Monday afternoon. Kyler's first day of school was the next day!

2012 is the start of a new era for our family. We moved to a new place, Greg started a new job, Kyler started a new school, Caden graduated out of all his therapies, and I have lots of “free” time now! I used to spend 45-50 minutes round-trip twice/day taking Kyler to/from school and now we walk 5 minutes each way! I don't have to drive Caden to/from therapies every day of the week either! So this is going to be a HUGE change for our family. I am truly looking forward to what God has in store for us.

May 2012 be a wonderful year for all of you!